Monday, March 31, 2014

Review: Grant At Vicksburg

Many scholars believe the twin victories of the Union Army
at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on July 3rd and Vicksburg, Mississippi on July 4th,
1863 was the turning point of the American Civil War; driving back the northern
advance of the Confederate Army and severing the Confederacy in two.Shelves of books have been written about the dramatic
three day battle at Gettysburg, while the number of books written about the 47
day Siege of Vicksburg pales by comparison.

“Grant at Vicksburg” quickly dispenses with the necessary
details of Grant’s military career, and briefly describes the Vicksburg
campaign prior to establishing the siege of the city, including the two failed assaults
to capture the citadel on the Mississippi River.The remainder of the book is dedicated solely
to Grant’s role in the conduct of the siege.Ballard dissects the details of Grant’s decisions in troop placement,
his relationship with other officers (most notably with his rival, John
McClernand, and his partnership with William T. Sherman), while also paying close
attention to Grant’s strategies and tactics, as well as Grant’s caution when
dealing with the threat Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston’s troops to the
rear of his army.

A fair amount of time is spent by the author disproving and
dispensing with the rumor reported by Sylvanus Cadwallader of Grant’s drinking
during a trip to Satartia, Mississippi, which has been too often been repeated
by many historians who have not challenged Cadwallader’s version of the story.

Battle histories often deal only with the facts of the
particular military operation they are covering, rarely do they tackle social
issues, but Ballard surprises was a frank discussion of racism in Grant’s army,
and its impact on the lives of both freed and enslaved black people in the
Vicksburg area.

The book concludes, as one might rightly assume, Vicksburg’s
surrender on July 4th, 1863, and the retreat of Johnston’s Confederate army
from Jackson, Mississippi, and its impact on Grants career.

Coming in at one inch in thickness Mr. Ballard has successfully
written what one history teacher of mine would call a “skirt length” treatment
of the Grant’s actions during the siege of Vicksburg, “long enough to cover the
subject, but short enough to keep it interesting.”